09/29/2026 Kerry E.B. Black Binges Books!

Happy Book Birthday to Patrick Tumblety's

In Light of Darkness

Patrick Tumblety wrote a deeply personal collection of poetry and short works, In Light of Darkness, released by Blood Moon Publishing and Uncomfortably Dark. Through reading it, I feel as if I have met Patrick.

I know he was an often misunderstood boy who loved comics (especially Superman) and video games. D&D factors into some of the poems, too. He is very open about his mental health struggles and his concern that they are something inherited by his daughter. His love for his wife and child is palpable. He credits his wife with bringing him joy and saving his life. He’s divided the work into sections.

The first concentrates on grief, a dread of death, and an end of the intellect. “My mind will not let me remember to forget that you are gone.” He asserts, “...being haunted” is “an essence of our dearly departed that lingers.” A life and a legacy can be wiped away with a dust rag. He further attests in “The Dead Don’t Need the Living” that “...one day, you won’t need the dead.” He also presents the idea that when we die, our energy becomes part of the universe, and therefore, we’re all together, connected.

A recurring element in his work is the mirror doesn’t truly reflect the gazer. The collection contains 48 free verse works contained in about 120 pages.

Kerry E.B. Black, crazy cat mom of felines named for great authors and nearly grown children who are not, writes an eclectic collection of tales from an itty, bitty house (which is for sale, if you’re interested) outside of the city of steel, three rivers, and zombies. This author of two paranormal thrillers (Awakening at Equinox and Spring of Spirits), four collections of short scares (Herd of Nightmares, Carousel of Nightmares, Nightmares on Holidays, and Fairy Herds and Mythscapes), two poetry collections (Poetic Nightmares and Witches in the Air) and a pseudo-historical novella (Wolves at Bay) is a member of the HWA.

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